R.I.P. W.G.A.

What the writers didn't realize, or chose to ignore, when they went on strike November 5th was the long-term effects their ballyhooing would have on their careers. An article in this Monday's Variety takes stock of the combined elements of the strike, recession, and threat of a SAG walkout to come up with a very doom and gloom prophecy for the future of scripted television. Any motivation by studio execs to "take risks" with projects that once fell within the television norm has been killed by the never ending stream of low concept, low budget reality TV shows. Why pay overheard for writers when trash is free? The leverage writers thought they had gained in protesting the yet-to-be-determined revenue models for internet distribution was really just an attractive pipe dream. Hollywood and TV land are downsizing, and writers are the most expendable product.